The purpose of this K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award is to prepare Margo Brooks Carthon, PhD, RN, for an independent health services research career, with a special focus on disparities research. The career development plan entails three approaches to achieve the immediate and long-term career goals of the candidate, including 1) completion of training dedicated to acquiring skills in advanced health outcomes research methods and statistics; 2) enlistment of an expert mentorship team including Dr. Linda Aiken, PhD, FAAN, RN, Dr. Herbert Smith and Dr. David Barton Smith and 3) the conduct of a study to evaluate the influence of nurse practice environments on hospital outcomes of minority patients, that will lead to future R-series grant applications. I have an offer for a faculty position from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing upon the completion of my post-doctoral research fellowship. The research project seeks to understand how characteristics of the nurse work force and the nurse practice environment influence outcomes among hospitalized minority patients. This study will employ a cross sectional, observational design to determine the effects of nurse work force and the practice environment on selected patient outcomes in order to assess what types of investments in nursing resources might be most beneficial to minority patient outcomes. The specific aims of the research project are to: 1) examine the difference in post operative mortality and failure to rescue rates among minority and non-minority patients, and determine how much of the differences in minority patient outcomes are explained by underlying patient characteristics such as comorbidites or characteristics of the hospitals where minorities seek care; and 2) determine to what extent differences in minority patient post surgical outcomes are associated with nurse staffing, the proportion of nurses with BSN education, and the quality of the nurse practice environment. It is anticipated that the results of the study will inform managerial and policy initiatives on how to improve health outcomes, particularly in hospitals serving a large proportion of minorities. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This proposal directly addresses the public health concern regarding disparities in health outcomes among hospitalized racial and ethnic minorities. Its results will represent one of the first initiatives to evaluate the influence of nursing care and the practice environment on minority patient outcomes and will provide a preliminary assessment of what kinds of investments in nursing are most beneficial.